How Offers Work at 438 Cards

Every single card in our shop has a Make an offer button. If the asking price isn't quite right for you, tell us what you'd pay — it takes under a minute, and you're never charged unless we say yes. Here's exactly how it works, from clicking the button to the card arriving at your door.

Step 1 — Make your offer

On any listing, click Make an offer and enter the price you'd be happy to pay (anything from £1 upwards). Your offer goes into your offer basket, and you can keep browsing and add as many cards as you like.

Why a basket? Because sending your offers together means you only pay one combined postage charge, however many cards you offer on — rather than paying postage on each one separately.

Step 2 — Check out (you won't be charged)

When you're ready, review your offers and head to checkout. You'll enter your email, delivery address and card details through Stripe, our secure payment provider — no account needed.

This is the important bit: your card is only authorised, not charged. It works like the hold a hotel places on your card at check-in. The money stays in your account; we simply reserve the amount so that if we accept, the sale can complete straight away. If we don't accept, the hold is released in full and you pay nothing.

Step 3 — We review your offer

Every offer is reviewed personally — no bots, no automatic rejections. You'll normally hear from us by email within a few days, and one of three things happens:

• Accepted — the authorised amount is taken, your card is packed and posted, and you'll get a confirmation email.
• Declined — the hold on your card is released and you pay nothing. No hard feelings — feel free to try again on another card.
• Counter-offer — if we can't do your price but can meet you partway, we'll release the original hold and email you a new price with a secure checkout link. It's entirely your choice whether to take it.

If you offered on several cards, we review each one individually. You're only ever charged for the cards we accept (plus your single postage charge) — the rest of the hold is released automatically.

Common questions

Will I see the money leave my account?
The authorisation may appear as a "pending" transaction, but no money is taken unless we accept your offer. Declined or expired holds are released by your bank, typically within a few days.

Do I need an account?
No — just an email address and a delivery address at checkout.

What if the card sells while my offer is being reviewed?
If someone buys the card at full price before we've made a decision, your offer is automatically declined and the hold released. You'll get an email letting you know.

How long does my offer stay live?
Card authorisations last around seven days, so we make sure every offer gets a decision well within that window.

Can I offer on more than one card?
Please do — that's exactly what the offer basket is for. One checkout, one postage charge, and each card is considered on its own merits.

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That's all there is to it. No haggling over messages, no waiting weeks for a reply, and no risk of paying for something you don't get. If a card has caught your eye, browse the shop and make us an offer — the worst we can say is "not quite".